Avoid macros defining constants

[nz_btn text="Software Resiliency" link="http://casthighlight.wpengine.com/category/product/indicators-methodology/code-insights/software-resiliency/" target="_self" animate="false" animation_type="ghost" color="pink" size="small" shape="rounded" type="normal" hover_normal="fill" hover_ghost="fill"][nz_btn text="Code Reliability" link="http://casthighlight.wpengine.com/category/product/indicators-methodology/code-insights/software-resiliency/code-reliability/" target="_self" animate="false" animation_type="ghost" color="black" size="small" shape="rounded" type="ghost" hover_normal="fill" hover_ghost="fill"]This code insight verifies in C++ applications when macros without parameters define a literal constant. Depending on the density of occurrences and the thresholds set for this code insight, Highlight counts penalty points for the scanned file. Literal constants are numbers, characters or strings (numbers, possibly preceded with . or \, characters enclosed with ', strings, enclosed with ' or ").

Why you should care

As macros do not obey the C++ scope and type rules, this often leads to subtle and not-so-subtle problems, causing unexpected behaviors or compilation issues.

CAST recommendations

C++ provides alternatives that fit better than macros with the rest of C++, such as inline functions, templates, and namespaces. As a C++ developer mentioned on StackOverflow "you should stop using Macros (at least to define constants) whenever you can. Macros are wild things against namespaces and scopes. On the other hand const objects have type and this can reduce unintended mistakes."

References

http://www.stroustrup.com/bs_faq2.html#macro https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/doronh/2006/03/27/avoiding-defines-for-constant-data-and-using-enums-instead/ https://stackoverflow.com/questions/19615851/in-c-is-it-better-to-use-define-or-const-to-avoid-magic-numbers  

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